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"Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot": A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults.

Pearson, Amy; Hodgetts, Sophie

"Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot": A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults. Thumbnail


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Abstract

There is a lack of research on autistic intimacy; however, a small body of research suggests that bondage, discipline, domination, submission, sadism and (sado)masochism (BDSM)/kink may be appealing to autistic people. We aimed at exploring how engagement in BDSM/kink related to autistic identity, using a phenomenological approach. We recruited six autistic adults through purposive sampling on social media. All participants took part in a one-to-one spoken interview about their engagement in BDSM/kink and how it related to their sense of identity. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to analyze the data and found three key themes. Theme 1, "Practicing safe 'sex'" highlighted how the clear communication and explicit focus on consent present in BDSM/kink facilitated a feeling of safety. Theme 2, "So many ways to touch and be touched" was focused on the sensory draw of BDSM/kink, and how it provided exciting ways to explore sensory joy (and sometimes revulsion). Theme 3, "Subverting (neuro)normativity" showed how autistic people can find pleasure in intimate practices that transgress normative expectations. Our findings highlighted the importance of exploring the perceptions of autistic adults in relation to their own intimate practices. Autistic intimacy is an emerging area of research, with very little focus on lived experience. Although engagement in BDSM/kink may appear niche, our findings suggest that there are aspects which are inherently appealing to autistic people. These findings can be used to destigmatize both autistic intimacy and engagement in alternative intimate practices more broadly. [Abstract copyright: Copyright 2024, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.]

Citation

Pearson, A., & Hodgetts, S. (2024). "Comforting, Reassuring, and…Hot": A Qualitative Exploration of Engaging in Bondage, Discipline, Domination, Submission, Sadism and (Sado)masochism and Kink from the Perspective of Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood, 6(1), 25-35. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Mar 20, 2023
Online Publication Date Feb 28, 2024
Publication Date 2024-03
Deposit Date Mar 24, 2023
Publicly Available Date Apr 19, 2023
Journal Autism in Adulthood
Print ISSN 2573-9581
Electronic ISSN 2573-959X
Publisher Mary Ann Liebert
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Issue 1
Pages 25-35
DOI https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103
Keywords kink, intimacy, neuroqueer, BDSM, autism
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1177508

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Copyright Statement
This is the accepted version of the following article: Pearson, A. & Hodgetts, S. (2023). "Comforting, reassuring, and.hot": A qualitative exploration of engaging in BDSM and Kink from the perspective of autistic adults. Autism in Adulthood, which has now been formally published in final form at Autism in Adulthood at https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2022.0103. This original submission version of the article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers’ self-archiving terms and conditions.





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